The name of this organization shall be the Northwestern Connecticut Youth Hockey and Skating Association (NWCYHSA), incorporated under the Connecticut statutes as a nonprofit corporation.

Article 2 Objectives

The objectives of the NWCYHSA shall be to promote and develop the game of ice hockey and the government of the game in the towns relegated to the NWCYHSA by the Connecticut Hockey Conference (CHC).

Article 3 Headquarters

All annual, regular, and special meetings shall be held in a location as decided by its Board of Directors.

Article 4 Affiliation

NWCYHSA shall be affiliated with USA Hockey and shall operate as an integral unit of that association through the CHC.

Article 5 Board of Directors

The affairs of the NWCYHSA shall be directed by the Board of Directors consisting of members voted in by a majority vote of existing Board members. The number of Board members shall not exceed 14 or be fewer than 7. Of these directors, Board Officers shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer and shall be elected from the present Board.

BY-LAWS

Article 1 Board of Directors

The Board of Directors shall transact the business of the NWCYHSA. It shall have the power to enforce laws of the game, and the rulings of the CHC or USA Hockey. It shall have the power to settle all disputes and protests of appeals from the decisions of program members when requested. The Board of Directors decisions shall be final. All members of the Board of Directors (Board Officers and Board Members) shall have one vote except for the President as provided for in Section 1 [1] below. The following positions are created by the Board and may vary depending on the needs of the Association.

Section 1 Board Officers (Total 4)

[1] President

The President shall preside at all meetings. The President shall cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie vote at Board meetings. The President has the power to appoint all officers and committees not required to be elected, and shall serve as ex-officio on such committees. The President shall have signatory authority on all money accounts of the Association.

[2] Vice-President

The Vice-President shall succeed to the powers of the President in his absence, and perform other duties as may be delegated to him by the President. The Vice President may appoint an assistant with whom he/she will divide the responsibilities of allocating ice time among the various divisions, schedule games, and distribute ice and game schedules to coaches. The Vice President shall also appoint schedulers for each of the divisions.

[3] Secretary

The Secretary shall record all business transactions of the NWCYHSA, attend to the correspondence, and keep records of the NWCYHSA including the minutes of the Board of Directors meetings.

[4] Treasurer

The Treasurer shall have charge of all money accounts of the NWCYHSA and shall keep a detailed account of income and expenditures of the NWCYHSA. The Treasurer shall submit a statement of the financial condition of the NWCYHSA at Board meetings. The Treasurer shall supply the Secretary with copies of the statement for the minutes. The Treasurer shall have signatory authority on all money accounts and shall sign all checks of the NWCYHSA. The Treasurer shall file all NWCYHSA income tax forms.

Section 2 Board Members (Total 11)

[1] Registrar

The Registrar shall have charge for the registration of all players, coaches, and volunteers in the NWCYHSA. The Registrar shall determine the eligibility of players under CHC and USA Hockey rules, taking into consideration NWCYHSA policies. The Registrar shall advise the President for the issuance of release forms.

[2] CHC Representative

The CHC Representative shall represent the NWCYHSA at CHC meetings, and report all information to the Board.

[3] Coaching Director

The Coaching Director shall oversee coaches, and ensure that all coaches are certified to the appropriate level as determined by CHC and USA Hockey guidelines. The Coaching Director shall also implement a unified program for all levels, and encourage coaches to prepare for practices and that this preparation includes both a general conception of the needs of his/her players, as well as basic drills.

[4] Gunnery School Representative

The Gunnery School Representative shall represent the Gunnery School and maintain relations with the NWCYHSA.

[5-11] At Large Board Members

There shall be a total of 7 At Large Board Members who may be designated specific responsibilities depending upon the needs of the Association.

Section 3 Ex-Officio

The outgoing President and Vice-President may sit on the Board of Directors for a period of one (1) year at the end of their term to ensure continuity of the program. The Ex-Officio Board Member shall not have a vote on the Board of Directors.

Article 2 Meetings

[1] Regular Meetings shall be held monthly during the season, at a location determined by the Board of Directors. The President may call Special Meetings at the request of three (3) members of the Board of Directors.

[2] Six (6) members in good standing of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum at all meetings. Motions are carried or deferred by the majority of affirmative votes cast.

[3] Any Officer absenting himself from three (3) meetings without cause shall have his office declared vacant at the discretion of the Board of Directors, who may appoint his successor.

[4] In case of doubt as to procedure or where not covered herein, the latest edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised Edition,” shall govern.

Article 3 Election of Officers and Board Members

Section 1 Nominations

The President, prior to the last regular Board meeting, shall appoint a nominating committee. It will be the duty of this committee to receive nominations of candidates. The Gunnery School Representative shall be nominated by the Head Master/Mistress of the Gunnery School.

Section 2 Voting

The Board of Directors of the NWCYHSA shall be voted separately by voice vote and shall receive a majority of the votes cast.

Section 3 Term

[1] Officers shall serve for three (3) year terms, commencing on July 1 and terminating on June 30. The Officers terms shall be staggered such that no more than two (2) Officers terms shall expire in the same year.

[2] Board Members shall serve for two (2) year terms, commencing on July 1 and terminating on June 30. The Board Members terms shall be staggered such that no more than five (5) Board Member terms shall expire in the same year.

[3] If a vacancy of any Board position shall occur other than as a result of natural expiration of such term, then a Special Meeting of the remaining Board of Directors will be held to elect a person to fill the vacated Board position for the remainder of that term.

[4] The duties and powers of appointed officials shall cease after their successors have been appointed or after their delegated task has been completed and they are discharged by the President.

Section 4 Dismissal

An Officer or member of the Board of Directors, whois not fulfilling their duty or is overstepping their assigned duty as described in Article 1, Sections 1 and 2, may be removed from office as follows:

1. A petition, signed by at least three members of the current Board of Directors, and setting out the specific offense and reason for dismissal, shall be presented to each Board member at a regular monthly meeting.

2. Discussion of the petition shall be allowed, and the board member whose removal is sought (petitioned Board member) shall have the opportunity to respond to the Board of Directors at the time the petition is presented or may request to postpone such response until the next regular meeting. A request to postpone a response shall be granted, unless the next regular meeting falls outside the season calendar (October 1 through March 31).

3. The Board of Directors shall cast ballots after discussion and response by the petitioned Board member. A majority vote of all non-petitioned Board members must be achieved, provided at least six affirmative votes are cast.

4.If the vote cast determines that the petitioned Board member will vacate his/her position, a Special Meeting will be held to fill the vacated Board position.

Article 4Membership

To be eligible for membership in the NWCYHSA, a CHC affiliate based amateur youth hockey program must be:

1. Voluntary; in the sense that at the beginning of his/her participation in the program, no adult shall have been promised, have anticipated and/or received any compensation for their services, with the exception of attorneys who draw and file articles of incorporation. Such attorneys may be rendered their customary fees for such professional services.

2. Non-profit; in the sense that no funds of the program shall be paid to and/or distributed among participants of the program for their personal account except as may be provided for documented and previously authorized expenses.

3. Primary; in the sense that the instructional and coaching scheme of the program shall begin with the fundamentals of how to skate and how to use a hockey stick within the rules of the game.

4. Open; in the sense that it will accept any child from the community it serves for fun, competitive participation regardless of sex, race, creed or religion, provided that the registration fees and/or any other such membership requirements specified by the program are complied with, excepting:

(a) no program depending upon municipal tax-based funding shall be required to accept nonresidents as participants; or

(b) no program shall be required to accept registrants whose registration may violate provisions of a league conference or tournament in which that program usually participates.

Article 5 Registration and Eligibility

Section 1. General

All NWCYHSA teams and players shall be organized, registered and rostered in accordance with CHC Bylaws Article VI and CHC Rules and Policies.

Section 2 Fees

[1] Prior to the beginning of each new season, the Board of Directors will set the registration fees for NWCYHSA hockey and skating programs.

[2] A pre-registration letter shall specify the date of registration and a deadline or deadlines by which fees must be paid.

[3] The amount of registration fees shall be payable upon registration. This fee, registration application and insurance forms must be submitted to the Registrar prior to participation in any NWCYHSA activities.

[4] If fees are not paid prior to the established dates, then youths sponsored by the delinquent applicant will not be allowed to participate in any NWCYHSA activity until the financial obligations are satisfied.

Article 6 Competition

Competition shall be governed by the CHC Rules and Policies, specifically Article V.

Article 7 Amendments

Section 1 Standing

Any member of the Board of Directors in good standing may propose amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws.

Section 2 Procedure

[1] Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the Secretary.

[2] The Secretary shall present at the next regular Board of Directors Meeting, all proposed amendments for the Board of Directors to review.

[3] The Board of Directors will discuss and revise the proposed amendments as necessary at the subsequent meeting, and shall be voted on at such meeting of the Board of Directors.